Endocrine-disrupting Chemicals: Review of Toxicological Mechanisms Using Molecular Pathway Analysis

Abstract

Endocrine disruptors are known to cause harmful effects to human through various exposure routes. These chemicals mainly appear to interfere with the endocrine or hormone systems. As importantly, numerous studies have demonstrated that the accumulation of endocrine disruptors can induce fatal disorders including obesity and cancer. Using diverse biological tools, the potential molecular mechanisms related with these diseases by exposure of endocrine disruptors. Recently, pathway analysis, a bioinformatics tool, is being widely used to predict the potential mechanism or biological network of certain chemicals. In this review, we initially summarize the major molecular mechanisms involved in the induction of the above mentioned diseases by endocrine disruptors. Additionally, we provide the potential markers and signaling mechanisms discovered via pathway analysis under exposure to representative endocrine disruptors, bisphenol, diethylhexylphthalate, and nonylphenol. The review emphasizes the importance of pathway analysis using bioinformatics to finding the specific mechanisms of toxic chemicals, including endocrine disruptors.

Bisphenol S instead of bisphenol A: a story of reproductive disruption by regretable substitution - a review

“…Within the range of 0.02-21 ng/ml (0.8-84nM) it has been detected in human urine samples originating from seven Asian countries and the USA (Liao et al 2012a) in 81% of analyzed samples. In the following study the presence of BPS in urine was demonstrated in residents living near a manufacturing plant in south China in a concentration of 0.029 ng/ml (Yang et al 2015).…”

“…BPA is released into the environment either directly from chemical, plastic coating, and staining manufacturers, from paper or material recycling companies, foundries which use BPA in casting sand, or indirectly leaching from plastic, paper, and waste in landfills (Yang et al 2015). BPA passes into foodstuffs or water directly from the lining of food and beverage cans, where it is used as an ingredient in the plastic used to protect the food from direct contact with the can (Goodson et al 2002;Vandenberg et al 2009).…”

<b>Semen traits, testicular morphometry and histopathology of cadmium-exposed rabbit bucks administered methanolic extract of <i>Phoenix dactylifera</i> fruit

“…The result of semen evaluation herein confirmed that the administration of MEPD to cadmium exposed rabbit bucks increased the number of spermatogonia which resulted in the significant (p < 0.05) increase in sperm concentration. This may have been due to the stimulation of androgen biosynthesis, possibly by regulating progesterone synthesis and metabolism which may have been altered through direct interaction of cadmium with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and competitive inhibition of essential enzymes (Yang, Kim, Weon, & Seo, 2015). Also by the initiation of FSH synthesis (Mehraban et al, 2014) which perhaps increased the proportion of cells passing through meiosis and spermatogenesis thus increasing semen concentration and total sperm per ejaculate.…”

Risks and benefits related to alimentary exposure to xenoestrogens

“…Fruits and vegetable represent also one of the main human exposure sources to organochlorine pesticides, dangerous compounds related with increased risk of developing several hormonally-related cancers (Lerro et al, 2015). The increasing interest in the determination of these chemicals is due to consolidated evidences underlining their role in the pathogenesis of several diseases such as cancer, obesity (Yang et al, 2015), diabetes (Chevalier and Fenichel, 2015) and reproductive pathologies (Kumar and Holt, 2015). EDCs exposure is particularly dangerous during childhood.…”